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Church of England: Gay bishop accuses church leaders of mistake over invitation snub

This article is more than 15 years old
· Archbishop's position is untenable, says Robinson
· Supporters describe bar as pandering to homophobia
Bishop Robinson gets heckled at Sunday service AP

The first openly gay Anglican bishop yesterday described the decision to bar him from a church leaders' conference as a "mistake".

The Right Rev Gene Robinson, whose consecration in 2003 and relationship with another man, Mark Andrews, has pushed the Anglican communion to the brink of schism, said he sympathised with the Archbishop of Canterbury's position, but added that the lack of an invitation meant the Lambeth conference would not benefit from the presence of a gay voice.

Due to start on Wednesday with the arrival of about 650 bishops, the 10-yearly meeting comes as the Anglican communion continues to disintegrate over the issue of homosexuality and women clergy.

Despite the snub, Robinson will be in Canterbury throughout the conference.

Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Robinson said: "I think a mistake was made in not including me in those conversations. I was the only openly gay voice that might have been at the table. But I will do all I can from the fringe. Miracles happen when people who are divided by something get to know one another."

Robinson said he sympathised with Rowan Williams's position, which he described as "almost untenable". He said: "No matter what he [Williams] does he will make someone mad, and sometimes everybody mad."

He was given a platform last night at St Mary's church in Putney, south-west London, to deliver a sermon and will be at Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank tonight, where he and Sir Ian McKellen will host the UK premiere of For the Bible Tells Me So, a US documentary about homosexuality and the Bible.

Sir Ian yesterday accused the church of homophobia, claiming that religious leaders shared the same attitude as the armed forces and schools, whose authorities, he said, had also expressed a problem with gay people. McKellen said: "That particular problem is homophobia and, having it, they root around in the Bible for the bits that seem to be relevant."

Although homosexuality is not on the agenda, it threatens to dominate Lambeth. About 230 Anglican bishops - a quarter of the world's 880 total - are boycotting it because Williams invited representatives from the US Episcopal church who supported Robinson's consecration.

These conservatives - mostly from Africa - are furious that Williams failed to punish liberals from the American wing of the communion.

Last month senior figures from churches in Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and Australia launched the Global Anglican Future Conference, Gafcon, a breakaway movement for traditionalists unhappy with the progressive agendas of churches in the northern hemisphere.

Gafcon represents about half of the world's 80 million Anglicans and one of the Gafcon instigators last week urged Christians to stand by him in his fight against homosexuality in the communion.

In an interview with the Ugandan publication the Daily Monitor, the Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi, said: "They have money and will do whatever it takes to make sure that this vice penetrates Africa. We have to stand out and say no to them."

In another interview he said gay people were trying to take advantage of Africa's poverty by making donations for schools and scholarships. "We should not accept any donation that comes our way and has strings attached. Some people have already fallen victims in Uganda and we need to stop it," he said.

Since its inception in Jerusalem, Gafcon has attracted the support of conservative parishes and clergy in the Church of England.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Wales, Barry Morgan, said yesterday that gay people should not be barred from becoming bishops. He said if Welsh bishops voted for a gay priest to be consecrated, he would back their decision.

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